


butterflies in your tummy

by edbloom



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Lee Jeno is Whipped, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-23
Updated: 2019-08-23
Packaged: 2020-09-24 14:55:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,326
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20360395
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/edbloom/pseuds/edbloom
Summary: And much to the chagrin of 8-year-old Jeno, older Jeno never really understood that phrase either. Never really got what the fuss was about. Or why people even used that phrase. He never really understood it.Until he met Donghyuck.





	butterflies in your tummy

**Author's Note:**

> this is my first work that im ever gonna post so there's that.
> 
> hope you guys enjoy and um yeah.
> 
> un-beta'd so if you find mistakes, uhhhh ignore them.
> 
> \- ely

_ Butterflies in your tummy _

That was a phrase Jeno learned earlier on in life. 

He was 8-years-old, watching a show in the living room when an actor from the TV said it. The boy grimaced at the thought of it.  _ Butterflies in your tummy _ , he thought,  _ ew _ . It was peculiar to the little boy. A strange phrase that made him curious as to how it was possible in the first place.

During dinner, the bright boy asked his mom about it. 

“Mom, how do people have butterflies in their tummies? Do people eat them? Do people eat butterflies? How do the butterflies survive? Are the butterflies dead? Are they, mom?” the boy asked, questions growing frantic after each one.

“Sweetheart,” his mom stifled a laugh, “it’s a figure of speech.”

“What’s a figure of speech?” The boy asks.

“It means that it has a completely different meaning, lovely.” His mom cups his face as she softly rubs her thumb on his cheek.

“... Huh?”

“Oh, nevermind. You’ll learn it once you grow older. Now, hurry up and eat. It’s about to be your bedtime soon.”

“Yes, mom!”

And much to the chagrin of 8-year-old Jeno, older Jeno never really understood that phrase either. Never really got what the fuss was about. Or why people even used that phrase. He never really understood it.

Until he met Donghyuck.

Lee Donghyuck. A name Jeno can’t quite keep out of his mind. A boy he couldn’t help but talk about. A person who shines whenever he smiles and glows whenever he’s under the sun. A real life sunflower. And the butterflies in Jeno’s stomach just seem to gravitate towards him.

  
  


The first instance of the butterflies in his tummy setting a wild was when Donghyuck transferred to Jeno’s school during their third year. 

That day was a Tuesday, as Jeno so clearly remembers. He was told earlier on to stop by the Guidance Office that morning. This is because Jeno, being the polite boy he is, was a favorite in the Guidance Office. Always asking him to escort students to the office or to show new kids around. It was basically his unofficial job. 

So there he was, Tuesday morning at the office, waiting for the new kid. Jeno suspects it’ll be a second year transferee since they had a lot of those. His best friend says its because the school near them was abundant with cases where higher year students would bully younger kids.  _ Nasty upper class brats,  _ Jaemin would say,  _ its why Junnie had to move. But why second years _ , would always be Jeno’s question.  _ It’s because they keep the issues under wraps,  _ Jaemin explained,  _ they lure freshmen into a false sense of security, get their money, and then when they complain, they just turn a blind eye like bullying isn’t something worth their attention. Money hungry sharks _ , would be his snide remark afterwards, to which Renjun would just laugh about. 

“Excuse me?” A tap on the shoulders popped his little air balloon causing him to crash land on Earth. He turns and he finds himself staring at a pretty sunny-eyed boy with a smile so blinding even if it was small and shy. 

The sunflower clears his throat.

“Um.. Sorry but are you Lee Jeno?”  _ Oh no. _

_ So that’s what it feels like to have butterflies in your tummy. Huh. _

“Uhh,” Jeno stammers, “Yeah- No, yeah, yeah.. I’m Lee Jeno.” He holds out his hands for a handshake, to which the stranger complies to.  _ Huh, how do sunflowers have calloused hands?  _ He thinks, smiling at the other boy.

“I’m guessing I’ll be showing you around?”

“If you don’t mind.”

“Of course not. Follow me.”

The uncomfortable itchy feeling of butterflies in Jeno’s tummy never really ceased causing a ruckus until much much later, around the same time that Jeno would begin to realize that he never really got the sunflower’s name.

“You are an utter dumbass,” Renjun says after Jeno recounts the tale of this morning to both him and Jaemin, leaving out the part about the butterflies. “How the hell do you forget to ask someone’s name?”

“I don’t know, okay?” He whines, gestures all over the place. “I just got flustered.”

“So you gay panicked,” Jaemin dead-panned across from him. Renjun, too, gives him a pointed glare when Jeno bashfully looks away.

“Yes. Fine, I gay panicked,” Jeno concedes, “But he was just so pretty and I don’t know, my brain just went error 404.”

“That’s just sad.”

“Shut up!”

“Just ask him next time,” Renjun stops the two before it turned into a full on bickering session. 

“But I don’t know when next time is,” he fiddled with this finger.

“Jeno, it’s a small school.  _ There  _ will be a next time,” came Renjun’s quick reassurance. His small hands pat Jeno’s arm.  _ Like a ladybug on a leaf _ , Jeno muses.

“Although if sunflower boy isn’t in our grade or a second year or even a fourth year, I  _ will _ disown you.”

“Jaemin!”

“Shut up!”

_____

  
  


Turns out, Lady Luck was feeling extra generous today. Because not only did Jeno get the pleasure of meeting the sunshine boy, he had classes with him too. 

Jeno sat down in his usual seat (in the middle, far left, right in front of the window, always) when he saw him. Mr. Sunflower walked into the class with their teacher, Mr. Lee.

“Good afternoon, class!”

“Good afternoon, Mr. Lee.”

“As you can see, we have a new student today,” he gestured towards the boy. Mr. Sunflower went shy under the gaze of the class, and kept his eye on the ground.  _ Cute _ , Jeno thought. The butterflies in his tummy awaken at the sight of the cute boy. “Why don’t you introduce yourself to the class, Mr. Lee?”

“Hi, I’m Donghyuck Lee but you can call me Hyuck,” Taking a glance at him, Mr. Lee nodded at him with assurance. “I just moved here a few days ago, and I hope we can get along well.” He smiled, a tiny smile at the end. The uncomfortable feeling spreads up to his chest and  _ oh my god, is this a fucking heart burn? What is happening. _

“Thank you, Donghyuck. You can now go to your seat, right there, beside Jeno,”  _ Wait, what _ . “Jeno, please raise your hand,” he raised his hand, cautiously.  _ Oh my god _ . 

Mr. Sunflower, or Hyuck, made his way down the aisle and onto the empty seat. The sunny boy turned to him and smiled. Not like his smile before, not the small shy smile he had on before, this one was different. This one was an all teeth, eyes shut, nose scrunch kind of smile. And it made the butterflies in his stomach go  _ absolutely wild _ .

“Hey, nice to see you again!”

Jeno’s eyes widen. His head goes empty and the words are caught in his throat.  _ Fuck, not again,  _ was all he can think. His heart feels  _ electric _ and his face flushes red. He gives a shaky smile back to Donghyuck.  _ Ignore it Jeno, keep it together. _

“Hey…” He then remembers that, “I’m sorry, I forgot to ask for your name.” Donghyuck chuckled, “it’s fine, you seemed out of it a while ago, anyway.”  _ Fuck. _

“Yeah, I had a lot on my mind,” Jeno nodded at the end. “Still do, honestly,” he says looking at Donghyuck straight in the eye, for the first time.  _ Atta boy. _ The sunny boy raises his eyebrow at him, a small smile appearing on his face. His heart stutters for a moment.

“Well, I hope whatever you’re thinking of resolves itself quickly. I’d like to be able to talk to a cute boy like you without something troubling them.”

Donghyuck leaves it at that and turns his attention back to the board. Leaving Jeno staring at him with wide eyes. 

_ I’m so utterly fucked,  _ was all Jeno could think as the butterflies in his tummy raged the entire duration of the class.


End file.
